Can you feel it? It’s that wonderful, special time of year when television studios announce their renewals, drops and future plans. Fantastic for some, fatal for others. NBC recently announced its own plans, stating that 30 Rock, The Office, and (to many people’s surprise) Friday Night Lights were among the survivors. And while Scrubs was dropped (do you really even care anymore?) a nice little addition was made. A spin-off to The Office will be one of the network’s new shows, scheduled to debut after the 2009 Super Bowl and air after The Office during the regular line up. NBC has been very hush-hush about all this, revealing only the shows existence and little else. This opens the door for everyone’s favorite pastime: speculation.

There are already rumors floating around about an entire new cast and setting, but that’s not very fun. Instead, let’s focus on the time-tested formula for making a spin-off: take an established character and give him his own show in a different setting. Now, this can go both ways. Notable successes have been shows like Fraiser (from Cheers), Good Times (from The Jeffersons (from All in the Family), and The Simpsons (from The Tracey Ullman Show). The other side of the spectrum includes Joey (from Friends), Three’s A Crowd (from Three’s Company), and After M*A*S*H (from M*A*S*H). And while it is a gamble, this strategy is often used because viewers need a character they know and (hopefully) like to persuade them into watching this new, foreign show.

First, I’d like to eliminate the possibility of any of the top four billed names (Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer) as candidates for the spin-off. They are far too important to the plot and especially in serving as foils for one another. Also, who the hell would leave a show they already star in to join a show that might not even make it? So they’re out. Here’s where it gets tricky. If you can’t use any of the stars, who will the audience care about and who can carry their own show? The former part is a little easy because of The Office’s writers’ talents. There are many characters that the audience feasibly “cares” about by this point in the shows history. But who, as a character and as an actor, has the grapes to make a new show? My choice is Ed Helms as Andy Bernard (the Nard Dog, if you will).

I like Andy because, for the most part, he’s expendable. He came on to the show when it was already deep into the story and was basically a different type of Dwight. But the important thing is he won’t be missed from the show. Andy already left the show during season three and, personally, I was fine with that. I liked the character, but not enough to complain about his departure. His character has changed dramatically since his return, making him much more easy to empathize with. In addition, Andy has also been giving his own mini-plot, involving his relationship with Angela. With all this and the fact that his character has some great quirks (have you seen the episode where he serenades Pam?), there’s a lot to build off for a new series.

Ed Helms is also getting more notoriety as an actor. He came to The Office off a great run as a correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (and a fantastic cameo on Arrested Development). He had very limited exposure at first but once the creatives realized his popularity and talent he began getting noticeably more screen time (as previously mentioned). I have a hard time thinking of another actor outside of the big four and Helms that could really carry a show on his own.As for what the show could be about, your guess is as good as mine. Maybe he takes over a new branch? That could lead way for some nice, Scranton branch cameos. Or maybe he’ll go to a competing company. Still room for cameos, and this way he could be antagonizing all the people he used to work with. OR he abandons corporate life and all his material possessions to take a journey of the body and soul across the world, carrying only his rucksack and a can of beans on his shoulders. Okay, that might be a bit of a stretch. Possible titles: Nard Dog, I Live to Frolf, and the obligatory single-name Andy.

My attitude towards spin-offs is generally one of despair, but I’m going to do something different and wait until I at least hear some hard (heh heh, hard) facts about where this vehicle is going. The Office has many writers and maybe the show will get the right treatment if show-head (writes, directs and produces) Greg Daniels is running things. Expect an update sometime before Super Bowl XLIII.